Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Monday pulled off a resounding 18-run victory in a low-scoring match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), looking to avenge their previous defeat in Bengaluru. With the win, RCB moved up to the fifth spot with 10 points, while LSG slipped a rung to the third spot.
Faf du Plessis & Co knew they had a low total to defend and hence acted accordingly. Mohammad Siraj opened the attack and got early success on the third ball. Kyle Meyers tried to clear the infield but was beaten by lack of bounce and dropped a simple catch to Anuj Rawat.
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Since KL Rahul was out injured, Krunal Pandya came in at No.4. The chase continued after losing 3 more Meyers early on. The left-hander gave Siraj a hat-trick of boundaries in the third over to gain some confidence but was soon dismissed by Glenn Maxwell. In the next over, Krunal looked for inside-out loft but ended up cutting the bottom of the bat and Kohli completed a fine catch near long-off.
LSG were already in trouble after losing a few men inside the powerplay and then Josh Hazlewood added to their woes. The Australian fast bowler, playing his first game this season, dismissed Ayush Badoni who played a slap drive on a fuller delivery. Kohli comes into the picture again, leaping over the covers to take another catch.
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Deepak Hooda was the next LSG batsman to walk back after making minimal contribution. He fell victim to a legbreak by Wanindu Hasaranga. Hooda pushed a bit too hard and could not get his back foot inside the crease before Karthik bowled.
Lucknow were 34 for 6 at the end of the powerplay when Nicholas Pooran joined Marcus Stoinis in the middle. Looking at his current form, the way forward seemed easy from there but Karn Sharma had other plans. With a leg break, he got past Pooran, opening the way for LSG.
Krishnappa Gowthan was the next man to join Stoinis in the middle. The Karnataka all-rounder tried to put some pressure on RCB, hitting Karn Sharma for a boundary followed by a six, and then hammered Hasaranga for a maximum on the sight screen. The pair of Gautam and Stoinis could add 27 runs for sixes.th Wicket but then Karna strikes again to remove the latter.
With 62 more needed and Gautam in fine form, Lucknow still had hopes. In fact, captain KL Rahul was also ready to bat out of the ground. But back-to-back run-outs made the LSG chase a bit more bleak. Throws from Harshal Patel caught Gautam and Bishnoi short, put RCB on top of the game.
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Tail-enders Amit Mishra and Naveen-ul-Haq look to chase with 50 needed off the last five overs. He batted patiently, took no chances and punished loose balls for boundaries. He took the game deep and added 26 runs for nineth Wicket. But in the last over, Hazlewood struck and got Naveen run-a-ball 13.
Rahul, who could barely walk, came limping onto the field. He bowled a few balls but could not score runs which brought Mishra on strike in the final over. The veteran spinner hit Harshal for a boundary before losing his wicket.
Earlier, a disciplined bowling attack restricted RCB to 126 for 9. Put in to bat, RCB never showed any momentum in their innings despite the opening pair of skipper Faf du Plessis and RCB. Virat Kohli Shared a 62-run partnership. However, the LSG bowlers pulled the game back brilliantly.
Meanwhile, LSG suffered a major blow on the last ball of the second over when skipper KL Rahul pulled his right thigh muscle while chasing a ball towards the extra cover boundary. Rahul failed to stop the boundary, looked in great pain and walked off the field limping. Krunal Pandya led the team in his absence.
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